Slap
by ohwhatsherface
Summary: AsuCaga. When it comes to Cagalli, sometimes a good smack is needed to bring her back to reality.


**Disclaimer – I do not own Gundam Seed.**

**-**

**-**

**Slap  
_written by: ohwhatsherface _**

**-**

**-**

"Cagalli you are only sixteen, you need not rush yourself into taking matters concerning the recovery of Orb right into your hands!"

The ceasefire had taken place about three weeks ago. When the Kusanagi along with the Archangel returned back to Orb, matters concerning the small nation were beginning to be dealt with at a faster pace. Cagalli was quite eager to take on her father's duties, but there were people like Kisaka, Kira, Athrun or Murrue who did not think that it would be such a good idea for her to begin at such a young age. She was sixteen and had just gotten back from a war. Kisaka and Murrue both people who had fought before believed that she should take some time to herself; the battles she fought were not as easy as she made it appear, to recover from.

The blond Representative-in-training scoffed. "I'm not rushing anything, Kisaka! As the daughter of former Chief Representative Attha, it is my duty—"

"No Princess, it is not your _duty_. Your duty is to live."

Kisaka sighed and then placed both hands on Cagalli's shoulders, stopping her from her ministrations. The sixteen-year-old had been in the middle of pulling the white jacket of her Orb Military uniform over her red t-shirt.

"Right now, everyone here, even your father would really like to see you relaxing and having fun. Being a teenager! Going out, passing school, enjoying your youth. Do not force yourself to grow up so fast, Cagalli! You are not ready yet for such a job!"

"I'm _not_ forcing myself to do anything, Kisaka! And I am completely ready to do the job! I can do it just fine!" she shouted, pulling away from his grip and fastening up the jacket buttons.

Cagalli tried to move to the other side of her bedroom, where they were talking, but the Colonel followed her.

"Kisaka, I _will_ take on my father's position now—"

The words died in her mouth as Kisaka's palm connected with her left cheek.

"You will not be taking up your father's position, Cagalli," he sternly spoke. The tone of his voice rose. "How do you intend to run a country when all you have to use are your emotions? Accept the fact that you are not ready yet Cagalli."

Cagalli's hand unconsciously rubbed the now reddened part of her face.

She felt tears build up in her eyes. Not because of the pain from the hit, but because of the pain from Kisaka's words; Cagalli knew that he was right. Ever since they returned back to Orb, she had always been putting on some sort of happy or contented mask just to show Kira and Athrun—who were both staying with her at the time—that she was in fact, perfectly fine. She didn't want to appear weak to anyone so she lied, telling everyone that she was okay, but in reality, on the inside, she felt just as scarred from all the bouts of war as her twin.

Her guardian sighed and then placed his own hand tenderly over the red mark. "I am sorry that I had to hit you Cagalli." He bowed politely and then proceeded to the doorway of Cagalli's bedroom. "Please Princess, think of what I just told you. Do not rush yourself into maturing so much. You have every right to be sneaking away from the estate with one of the cars or shopping and spending all your allowance; you are a teenager." He smiled sadly. "And please realize that you just are not ready to become the new Chief Representative Attha, just yet."

Cagalli said nothing but nodded.

Kisaka then exited the room and shut the door.

-

-

"What's up with you? You've been quiet all day, Cagalli."

Athrun looked over at Cagalli, concerned. The two of them were sitting on a large, green blanket that was spread over the sand at one of Orb's beaches. It was near sunset and Kira still had not come back to the Attha House; Cagalli had finally convinced him to go home and speak to his parents. They decided that he resolved whatever issues there were between them, and was most likely staying with them tonight, so the pair got some takeout Chinese food and drove down to the beach for a picnic.

Athrun came up with the idea after seeing Cagalli come out of her room, clearly doing some deep thinking. It was quite odd to see her in such a reflective state since usually it was he who was always getting lost in his thoughts.

Cagalli shook her head. "It's nothing, don't worry about it…"

He laid back on the blanket and put his folded his arms behind his head. He stared forward at Cagalli who was sitting with her knees folded and her arms resting on them; her chin was atop her forearms. Athrun touched her back through the orange t-shirt she adorned. "I can't remember how you said it perfectly but, I have a feeling your mind is like a hamster in its wheel right now getting just about nowhere." His voice grew concerned. "Cagalli, you can talk to me, you know that right?"

She simply nodded, but no words came out of her mouth.

"Then do you plan on telling me what's wrong?" he asked. Athrun moved his hand higher, up to her shoulder and then pulled her down to the blanket covered sand. His head was now resting upon his neck as she got comfortable in her new position.

They both stared at the sky in silence.

"If I were ever being a complete idiot…" Cagalli drawled out, breaking the quiet atmosphere she started, between them. "And I was acting irrational, thinking impulsively—no, just not even thinking at all, and was just purely acting out on my emotions, would you slap me?"

"Huh?" Athrun looked at her perplexed.

The blond shrugged her shoulders that were flat against the ground. She noticed his head tilting to look at her, but she did not meet his gaze.

"When I was in the Desert Dawn, I made a stupid, irrational and absolutely not-thought-through decision…" She sighed. "Sahib and the others were going to make an attack on ZAFT; they were angry, I guess. He told me not to go, but I did, being the idiot I am. I dragged Ahmed into it—Kisaka too, but just because he had to watch over me, but Kisaka can take care of himself. Well yeah, I brought Ahmed to that damn battlefield and then…" Cagalli's amber gaze darkened. "Well he died." Her hands which were both resting on her sides now, clenched into fists. "He died because I made a stupid choice—because I took him with me!"

Athrun said nothing to interrupt her story.

"And then Kira came and helped and got rid of the ZAFT ships there… He told me that I was foolish. I was practically committing suicide and dying in the desert for nothing at all. Then I got pissed off, and said that we all fought bravely, that we were all fighting to protect the things we love. I showed him Ahmed's dead body…" She turned over, surprisingly, and rested her head on Athrun's shoulder. "Then he slapped me. He asked me what I thought I could protect when all I had to fight with were my emotions…"

"Did it hurt?" Athrun blurted out. He had never known Kira to physically hurt anyone, so he was kind of curious as to whether or not he packed a punch.

"Fuck you."

Athrun smiled slightly, realizing how stupid his question was. Did he really think she would admit that it hurt when she got slapped by Kira?

One of her hands moved towards his chest and she began drawing random things on him with her index finger.

"I've always been quite the rebellious one…" Cagalli said with a sigh. "I bet when you met me on that island, if I answered your question, 'what group do I belong to?', and told you I'm not with the Earth Alliance because I'm the Princess of Orb, you wouldn't have believed me."

"I don't believe it even now," he teased. Cagalli poked him in the ribs in return and he winced. "I'm kidding."

She childishly stuck her tongue out at him. "And do you remember that time when the Archangel was nearing Orb? Dearka told me you became Commander, then. It was that time you were all fighting near Orb territory and the fleets were going to shoot you for coming too close. The time when I got stuck announcing to everyone in the area that I was Princess Cagalli Yula Attha and then no one ended up believing me…"

"Yeah, I remember that fight," Athrun responded, thinking back. "When you said your name, I was kind of shocked. To think, I almost stabbed the Princess of Orb… Imagine how bad that could have made things for ZAFT."

Cagalli pursed her lips and poked him even harder this time, in the ribs. "Shut up. You thought I was a man. Let's not talk about that time." She looked at the sun setting in the distance. "Anyways, when we finally docked, while my dad was talking to Murrue and all, I was being tortured—"

"Tortured?"

Her amber eyes rolled. "Dressed up, whatever; tomato, tomato. I don't get _why_ Mana even bothered to stuff me into that dress since I _did_ change once I got home." Cagalli sighed. "Well anyways, when I saw my dad, he was pretty irked, which was totally expected. I don't really remember the things we said then, since I usually did get lectures from my dad whenever I got home from my little runaway-princess excursions, but he ended up slapping me. He said that I was acting too recklessly and could end up getting myself killed on one of my trips; that I shouldn't have to rely on Kisaka to protect me all the time."

She yawned widely as the sun lowered some more.

"And then this morning, I was getting ready to go to Parliament and talk with all the other Representatives when Kisaka came in. He started telling me that I wasn't ready to take on my father's role… That it wasn't my duty and that I shouldn't be worrying about that sort of stuff yet." For the umpteenth time that evening she sighed. "And well, me being me, I fought back and stayed stubborn, saying that I was still going to do my dad's job." Cagalli's hand made its way toward her left cheek without her really noticing. "And then he slapped me. He said that I had no place running a country when all I had were my emotions… Kind of like what Kira said to me in the desert."

Orb's Princess' golden eyes met with those of Athrun's.

"So yeah, like I was saying earlier, would you follow suit and slap me if I were acting like a total idiot who wasn't thinking things through at all?" she asked. Cagalli snorted afterwards. "It seems to be a thing going on between all the men in my life—" Cagalli stopped talking as she blushed, realizing what she just said to him. "I mean—would you slap me or not?"

Athrun looked down at her serious face. "I would never hit you, no matter how stupid you were being." He shrugged. "I would never hurt you at all even though you've shot me twice and had a gun aimed at me quite a bunch of times. I just wouldn't be able to find it in me to slap you Cagalli."

"Not even if I really, _really_ needed it?" Cagalli pressed.

"No," he answered, firmly. "I'm sure that Kira, your father and Kisaka all did the right thing when they slapped you back to sense and made you think things through, but I wouldn't."

"Are you _sure_?"

The blue haired boy sighed. "Yes Cagalli, I'm positive."

"Not even an itty-bitty whack back to reality? What if I really—"

Knowing she wouldn't let it go, Athrun lowered his head and pressed his lips to her own, effectively shutting her up. When he was sure the words were dead on her lips, he pulled away, now flustered; what the hell did he just do? Athrun sighed, observing how dark it had just gotten. The sun was just about fully set.

Cagalli let out a sigh of her own. "I guess that was one of the smack-Cagalli moments. Sorry 'bout that…" She grinned and touched her lips. "But I must admit, your 'slaps' _are_ better…"

"Oh shut up."

**-**

**-**

**Pointless AC-ness! **

**Review!**


End file.
